Please Come Get Me
by TurboNerdQueen
Summary: Makorra one shot. Parent AU.


He should have felt angry. He should have been seething in unimaginable rage or seeing red, but for some unfathomable reason Mako couldn't. He drove down the street with a calmness he shouldn't have possessed with the current situation he was in.

He should have been ready to shout until his voice was raw, but he couldn't.

He turned the corner and frowned; the street was tightly packed with dozens of cars in front of houses. This had to be against some form of law, if at least be a safety hazard for the neighbors. He drove slowly, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as several teenagers walked out in front of him without a care in the world.

The car came to a stop in front of the house where everyone seem to be gathered, the heavy bass of the music inside filling the street. Were the neighbors too tired to try and file a noise complaint? Did the kid's parents have deep pockets? He made a mental note to call his old partner down at the station to have a patrol car drive by afterwards. Mako stepped out and started his way up to the front door, the few stragglers in the yard eyeing him warily. One couple took one look at him, the color draining from their faces as they quickly walked away. Smart kids.

Inside was worse than he imagined. Cheap beer, shitty music, and dancing that looked like it belonged in the bedroom. He shook his head and started to move through the crowd of kids towards the kitchen, focused on one thing. He bumped into a young girl and had to do a double take when he caught sight of her. There was no doubt about it; this was little Yu from down the street, just dressed in clothes that would have given her old father an aneurysm.

"Yu?" He could barely hear his own voice over the noise, but she apparently caught it. When she looked to see who had called out to her, the poor girl's face clearly read 'busted'. She was on the verge of panicking, her mouth moving fast to blurt out an apology or excuse he couldn't hear. Mako raised his hand and shook his head. It wasn't in his place to scold her. He was here for one thing and one thing only.

"Kanna."

Yu nodded stiffly and pointed to the kitchen, eyes looking up at Mako with a silent plea in their golden depths. He pointed to the door, mouthing 'go home' before continuing his way towards the back of the house. Old Rei was not going to like that.

He pushed past the last of the teenagers loitering around in front of the entrance, scanning the cramped room for any sign of her when he felt someone grab his forearm. Instincts wanted to take over, his body wanting to break contact with the person and defend, but there was something familiar with this grip. He looked down to see a mass of dark hair obscuring the face of another young woman, her chin dipped to her chest and her shoulders trembling visibly.

He should have felt some form of fury but he couldn't.

Mako let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, pulling her to his side and turning them towards the front door. None of the other party guests paid them any mind, not even as the two were outside. He helped her into the car wordlessly, walking to the driver side and climbing in himself. She sat next to him, the space between them tense and soundless save for the pulsating music from the party and the sniffles she was trying so hard to cover up. Mako sighed and started the car, driving away from the scene.

The silence lingered until they pulled up in front of their house, the lights still on inside. Of course she would still be up, anxiously waiting for their return. Mako turned off the ignition and ran a hand down his face, suddenly feeling his age hit him.

"I'm such an idiot."

Mako turned to look at his passenger, the light from the front porch reflecting the tears that rolled down her sun-kissed face. Her shoulders shook as she took an unsteady breath and suddenly the dam burst.

"I knew he didn't really care, I really did. I was just lying to myself and went to his stupid party anyways. I was an idiot for going and for lying and for sneaking out and for calling you and for being such a fucking disappointment-"

"Kanna."

The way she flinched at his voice tore at his heart. Mako exhaled and reached over to take her chin in hand, turning her face towards him. He brushed her bangs out of her eyes, blue eyes so much like her mother's it was shocking. Her bottom lip trembled, tears falling freely with each soft hiccup.

When did his baby girl get so big?

He wanted to yell at her for being irresponsible and getting herself into trouble. He wanted to punish her or send her to the south to live with her grandparents until she was out of school. He wanted to make damn sure she never did anything like this again. He wanted to… but he couldn't.

Mako let his hand fall from her face slowly, his arms wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her into an awkward embrace. She clung to his shirt much like she used to as a toddler, little braids bouncing with every step and squeals filling the air as she would tell him to run faster. Only now she held onto him like he was the last thing keeping her from going under, her tears soaking the front of his shirt and her sobs reverberating deep in his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, daddy."

He should have felt a degree of anger. He should have felt urge to break that jerk's nose. He should have felt some sense of rage. Anything would be reasonable… but he couldn't.

All he felt was relief that she was home again.


End file.
